partnerships with neighborhood service organizations. thanks to these collaborations, i have been able to take the library out to the community. i certainly do not work alone making the oceanview branch a vital part of the community. working side by side with me is a terrific staff who care deeply about the patrons who come into the branch. take a trip to the branch and the first thing you might notice is that every patron who comes in is greeted by name. my staff makes the branch a truly cozy and truly welcoming place to come and the community truly appreciates that. i would like to give special credit to the san francisco public library administration and most especially our city librarian louise herrera for the encouragement to think and act outside the box as

librarians. mr. herrera initiated the gnpo leadership program standing for generation public library as we move forward into the 21st century. much of the knowledge i gained about the oceanview community comes through my participation on the oceanview gnpo team that spent a year conducting extensive research into the nature of the community. ~ luis and i would like to take this opportunity to especially thank my teammates on that team for their long hours dedicated to learning about the neighborhood in a way that i could never have done alone. they came up with many innovative ideas for how the branch can best serve the community. and although i've been singled out for recognition here today, which i again am truly grateful for, i represent just one instance of the amazing work

and dedication of all the staff of the san francisco public library. the theme of this year's national library week is communities matter at the library and nowhere is that more true than in san francisco. thank you very much. (applause) >> [speaker not understood] the last thing to say is, you know, we actually have a lot [speaker not understood]. we know the libraries are very meaningful for people here in san francisco. we've actually approved the library preservation fund which actually puts san francisco in a place where, unlike many cities around the country where libraries aren't doing so well. and, so, we know that your work is actually above and beyond the call of duty. your work is reaching out to the community of oceanview, the community to learn what the needs were. your presentation to the whole library staff last year was really remarkable.

i just want to say thank you for that great work. i think it's a great model for how libraries need to be serving all of our neighborhoods in san francisco and be real fulcrums for community development. so, thank you so much. [speaker not understood]. >> thank you. (applause) >> i also want to take a moment and recognize supervisor kim. >> so, i just wanted to really thank lisa for her words and the stories that she shared about our libraries. i think when we recognize library week, it's great to hear the stories about how our librarieses are public spaces that do serve our communities and neighborhoods. and i was really, really moved by what you spoke about today. and i wasn't planning on saying

anything, but i just thought that the experience that you were able to share with the public in terms of what that library has meant for that neighborhood and also how a library can be more than what you typically think it could be is incredibly moving. and i just want to thank you and the staff that you work with are able to serve the city in that capacity. when i served on the school board, i had the privilege of visiting our different libraries throughout our school district and i learned so much about how libraries are more than just a place to borrow books and to read, but they really can be an exciting space that can be really innovative and really relevant in a different way to young kid in this time. so, i just want to appreciate the work you do as a librarian. so, thank you. >> thank you, supervisor kim. our next commendation will be offered by supervisor yee. and i just want to take a moment to join him in thanking him for the folks that he is about to honor. i think it's very appropriate that we have a former child care provider on our ranks with

supervisor yee and i want to thank him for the next recognition. (applause) >> thank you. this is really an honor for me to be able to do this today. the week of the young child that just started sunday is celebrated by cities throughout the united states. and could i have the people that are going to be recognized, representatives -- all the representatives come up. evidence clearly shows that early years of the child's life are the learning years. early childhood education gives children a jump start on education for their kindergarten and elementary school years. according to many studies in recent years, the children who attend preschool do better in math and reading skills than children who do not attend.

a child who attends an early education program also has increased cognitive skills at the beginning of the kindergarten. a study from the massachusetts institution of technology says that early education baits boosts the economy by providing jobs to nearly 3 million people nationwide. ~ those people then spend their wages and pay taxes. by increasing the time, income, and resources for parents and caregivers of young children, we are building a solid foundation for lifelong development. children who attend early education programs have the benefit of relating to other students which can increase their social skills. children who have experience early childhood education are more socially competent in

their preschool, kindergarten and school age years. in san francisco we still need over 15,000 slots for infants and preschool combined. there are approximately 36,785 children under the age of 13 and families with income levels eligible for child care subsidies. though children represent 42% of the city's child population. the need is great and it's unfulfilled right now. teachers and caregivers who provide our children with lifelong skills are invaluable to our society and we need to value and recognize their tremendous worth. today there are over 2000 early education and care providers in san francisco serving our young children in licensed facilities whether center based or child

care based. in short, early education is vital to our children and i am proud to honor these three organizations that have worked tirelessly to have society recognize individuals who care and educate our youngest children. they are not only organizing the walk around the block of city hall event this friday -- you want to see a bunch of cute kids, you should come to that -- but also hosting the 15th -- this is not the first, but the 15th annual early care and education providers recognition reception this sunday for about 400 of our workers. the three organizations are san francisco child care provider -- sorry, san francisco child care planning and advisory council, family child care association, and the san francisco child care providers association. today i would like to honor

these three organizations for all their work that they've done for decades now. and i'm really proud that i've been associated with these organizations for the same amount of time, decades. so, if you'd like to say a few words, please. (applause) >> good afternoon, supervisors. my name is candice wong, chair of the advisory council. we are the state mandated body appointed by you and the board of education to advise -- plan and advise on behalf of early care and education in the city. and we are proud to serve you in that capacity. we're only able to do that work because of your support and that of the board of education. i feel like norman covered is all in terms of his eloquence. i won't say how many years,

norman. we appreciate the fact that we have a child care champion added to this board in addition to the supervisors who have been supportive of early care and education for many years. i want to on behalf of our members thank all of you supervisors who appoint our members. we're only able to do that work because of your support. i specifically want to thank board president david chiu, who is maya pointed supervisor to this body. ~ thank you for your support over the years. obviously we have still a lot of work to do. we need to continue to support child care subsidies in order to serve the 5,000 kids on eligibility lists waiting for services. we need to support our work force to get 50 cents on the dollar to pay public school teachers. we need to support our child care facilities because we only have capacity for 45% of the total capacity of working families with young children in the city. and i think in addition the other thing that we need to do is support our child care small businesses. i think oftentimes they're

overseen in the city as small businesses and they are. they struggle every day to keep their doors open to continue to provide the services for our families in the city. and i want to ask that during the week of the child, i'll come out to the walk around which is outside. we have set over 300 kids and families to come. we would love if you all were to join us. we also want to make sure that during this week of the young child, we ask that everyone think about what you can do to impact the life of a child, not just during this week, but beyond. and one of the things my organization, the low-income investment fund is committed to doing during the week of the young child is we are launching a new fund called the kids are a business fund. we are investing $500,000 in capital in their interest loans to support the improvement and growth of our child care small business in the city and that's our commitment. and i welcome all of you to do the same. thanks. (applause)

>> this special honor and recognition from the board of supervisors is very much appreciated by those of us who neither see nor are seen by many adults in the work force. and we just love getting a little bit of grown up attention once in a while. so, thank you, supervisor yee, for making us visible today and for your long-time support. and as also mentioned, supervisor avalos who has been our go-to supervisor for the needs of children, family, providers need to be raised. my name is elaine brother ton, and i am here representing the family child care providers in san francisco with a few others. we live and work every day in city neighborhoods caring for and teaching the youngest of young through the after school age while their parents are at work. i wish all family care providers could be with us here today to be honored with this

important recognition. family child care is our work. it's our business and our passion. we give it our all. children need to be -- children need us to be at our best and the parents who go to work need us to be at our best, as does our city. we are at our best when we know our city supports us on all levels. thank you for your attention. (applause) >> hello, i'm gretchen ames [speaker not understood] and several of our esteemed advisory board members are here. thank you very much for recognizing and honoring the work that we do, but more importantly the work that the people who care for children do. i think we also really want to recognize the board of supervisors has helped backfill a lot 6 cuts from the state which we very much appreciated. ~ of if you hadn't contributed city dollars to make up for the cuts, a lot more child care centers would be closing right

now and we very much appreciate that. but i also want to keep it in the lens that even without the cuts we are a significantly undercut field. as nor nan talked about [speaker not understood] first five years of the development of a young child, parents need to work. they need to know their children are in a high care quality environment. and people who take care of children for a living every day are very often not recognized especially in terms of compensation. the median income in the country for child care teachers is $11.14. san francisco i think might be a little bit higher but not by a lot. people who take care of their own children can't afford to take care of their families. i want to thank you for this honor. we look forward to working with you the next few years. our organization is really interested in helping make early childhood become a sustainable place to work, a highly professional, highly competitive work force where people can afford to care for their own families and we look

forward to working with you all on that journey. thank you. (applause) >> thank you, supervisor yee, and thank you to the san francisco child care providers

association and the family child care association of san francisco. colleague, we do have one more special commendation, but it will be offered at 3:30 jointly by supervisors farrell and breed. so, with that, madam clerk, why don't we go to roll call for introductions. >> supervisor avalos, you're first for introductions. >> thank you, madam clerk. just having an announcement of our [speaker not understood], home under the dome happening this coming thursday at 5:30. usually in the north light court, so, i expect it will be happening there. this is an event that's actually sponsored by the mayor and the board of supervisors, the san francisco public library , [speaker not understood] bookstore in supervisor wiener's district, brain wash cafe, [speaker not understood] studio design. the law offices of [speaker not understood], [speaker not understood] radio, studio 17 artists and the teaching writer. this is a great event,

colleagues. i just would recommend coming down. [speaker not understood] a portion of t. if you have a poem to read, it will be a great way to share with the community. and that's just what i have today. i have a poem in a can that i want to share in honor of poems in the dome event. as you know, our poet laureate suggested that we actually have poetry here in the board chamber. i tried to work on that theme with a haiku for question time with the mayor, but now this is my term to actually open the can [speaker not understood] to read a poem. this is actually -- this can comes from frank and art mart which is actually an inner richmond institution. the practice conceptual themed art and i just love this idea. i want to promote spam. this poem is called numb and it's by jonathan greenal.

the people stood quiet [speaker not understood], forging ideas, subjective. they needed worthless. they questioned the points, methods, mean and motive, the why's and wherefores. they deemed what seemed to be obvious, the elusive truth that had been there all along. [speaker not understood] no longer would they feel, numb. the most beautiful of words rolled off the tongue like rain off a roof, easily fed, easily felt, nothing at all, but numb. they moved once more, the cold night biting them. the wind bounced like weather off them. not once did it stir inside, not onces was the persian pierced by a smile nor a tear. they heard their hearts beat but did not feel the blood pump. they did not feel it push it to their organs or their brainses, instead it sat there and kept beat like a conductor without a seat. so easy, so easy not to cry nor moan, not to grieve or groan, not to smile or laugh.

live life by halfs, half conscious. think did not see when it eroded their souls and brought to their knees, too numb to feel drag on the ground. they were not there any more. you could see body, but a body is all it is, numb. so easy to say, such a cost to pay. so, that was brought to you by jonathan greenal and [speaker not understood] will be at our event. poet laureate will be at poems in the dome. and i hope colleagues and the general public can show up. thank you. >> thank you, supervisor avalos. supervisor breed. (applause) >> thank you. i have just two things today. today supervisor mar and i are introducing a resolution to add new bike rental locations on rec and park department property. this legislation will strengthen the city's transit first policy by increasing the sensible to alternative modes of transportation. the bike vendor park ride has

been a trusted proven company operate intion city parks for the past couple of years. they're existing in very popular locations or downtown, in the marina and in golden gate park. providing customers the unique hop on, hop off ability to pick up a bike at one location and drop it off at another. i am excited to be a co-sponsor to these new bike locations at the east entrance of golden gate park located at alvers lake and at a small portion of the ocean beach parking lot which will connect the existing locations. the added locations will make it even more attractive for visitors and residents to travel by bike in san francisco. they will provide a valuable public amenity in our parks and they will activate the space as they serve. district 5's all bert lake in particular is a site which has been troubled with ongoing safety issues for years. ~ i have been working with the recreation and parks

department, the san francisco police department and community based organizations which provide social services to provide more responsible solutions which will make the area safer, more family friendly and more inviting entrance to one of the greatest parks in the world. this proposal is a low impact way to bring positive activity to the albert lake area and is part of a package of solutions that i'm fulfilling. so, again, thank you, supervisor mar, for working with me on this effort. we wanted to introduce this legislation a few weeks ago, but i thought it was important to take some extra time to consult and collaborate with merchants, residents and neighborhood leaders in the haight. we have reached the compromise that reflects everyone's input although everyone is not completely satisfied with the outcome. i wanted to thank the recreation and parks department for working with my office and the community to find creative ways to find amenities in our parks and activate under

utilized space and i look forward to seeing more bikes in albert lake and throughout san francisco. the other thing that's happening and actually just started this past weekend happened, happens every year in japantown, the northern california cherry blossom festival. this is the 46th anian cherry blossom festival. and this weekend the festival will be on both saturday and sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. in japantown located primarily at polk street where it crosses webster. so, i hope you will join me. but also the parade will be this sunday. it starts at city hall at 1:00 p.m. and it concludes in japantown at approximately 3:00 p.m. it's an incredible parade and it's really festive. and the cherry blossom festival is one of california's prominent celebrations of asian tradition. each year, over 200,000 people

from all over the bay area come to enjoy the color and grace of the japanese culture and diversity of the japanese american community. japantown in san francisco is the second-largest japantown in the country and, so, i'm really happy that we continue this festival, not just a one day celebration, but two day celebration of the history and culture. so, this weekend join us. it should be a great time, and the rest i submit. >> thank you, supervisor breed. supervisor campos. >> thank you, madam clerk. i have a couple of items and i know that there will be an in memoriam that supervisor mar will be doing later today that i will be co-sponsoring. the first item is a resolution supporting the passage of ab 336 which is a bill that has been introduced by assembly member tom ammiano that essentially would make it the

law in california that law enforcement could not use condoms as evidence for prostitution. the core of hiv prevention throughout this country has been the fact that condoms are very he critical to preventing hiv and other diseases. it is truly the most effective means by which to prevent transmission of this virus. unfortunately, in direct contradiction to that urgent public health message, we have in some parts of this country and some parts of this state law enforcement that actually use the possession of condoms by a person who is expected or expected of prostitution as evidence that that person indeed engaged in prostitution. and as a result of that, as a result, that law enforcement

points to the existence or the use of a condom as evidence for prostitution, many individuals, many sex workers and those who fear being profiled as second workers no longer carry condoms with them, which is something that actually not only creates a public health hazard in terms of their health, but the health of the public as a whole. that really creates multiple opportunities for transmission of hiv and other illnesses. this practice has truly been found to have a disproportionately impact as well on the transgender community and communities of color, and it really goes against everything that we want to see from a public health standpoint. i'm very proud, by the way, that at the local level we have our own law enforcement, our district attorney, our police chief, and their respective offices who have worked with community groups, with the

human rights commission, my office and others to make sure that in san francisco we have a policy of not using condoms as evidence for prostitution. we are very proud of that. so, this bill by assembly member tom ammiano would state that the possession of one or more condoms as a matter of law in california will not be used as evidence for solicitation or engagement in prostitution. we have previously as a board in 1995 actually taken up a resolution that opposed the use of condoms as evidence. and i hope we continue to lead the way to make it clear as important as it is, given the importance of preventing the transmission of hiv and other diseases, that it's critical for law enforcement not to engage in a practice that undermines public health. i want to thank the following -- my following colleagues who

are co-sponsoring this resolution. supervisor wiener, supervisor avalos, supervisor mar, and supervisor yee. thank you very much for your co-sponsorship. the next item is another resolution also supporting a piece of legislation that is currently pending at the state assembly. it's assembly bill 12 66 that has also been introduced by assembly member tom ammiano which addresses the issue of how school districts interact with transgender students. the law as it is right now in california actually prohibits discrimination against students based on their gender department it. -- ~ identity. unfortunately some schools and school districts in this state continue to fail to recognize that it is discriminatory and harmful to nontransgender students to acschool-related facilities and activities.

something that unfortunately, even after the law protected these students was passed, continues to be a problem throughout the state. this bill by assembly member ammiano would clarify what the legal obligations by each school district and school actually are. it would ensure that transgender students in every district in every school in california will be guaranteed equal protection and equal educational opportunities just like the rest of their peers. the fact that no student can learn if they feel they have to hide who they are at school, if they're singled out for unequal treatment, and in this case denying transgender students equal treatment based on their identity denies them the right to a safe and supportive learning environment. and we know that the right to that environment is critical to having an education. schools across california,

including some of the state's largest school districts, are already accepting and supporting their transgender students and that's something that we're proud of to do here in san francisco, but we need to do more. and one of the things that is happening with many of these students is that you look at the suicide rates and their high. and it's important for san francisco to continue to speak out in support of these students. and, so, i ask for your support for passage of assembly bill 12 66. i want to thank my colleagues for their co-sponsorship, supervisor wiener, supervisor mar, supervisor avalos, and supervisor kim. the rest i submit. >> thank you, supervisor campos. supervisor chiu. >> thank you, colleagues. i have a brief item i'm introducing a resolution to urge the california state legislature to pass assembly bill 900 which would reverse reductions that were made in our state budget process a few years ago n